Low maintenance and efficient light management are the new trends in industrial lighting

LED luminaires used in industrial lighting must be efficient, optimise light distribution and have an appropriate protection rating

By Belal Khan

LED industrial lighting is providing solutions for all the lighting challenges of companies setting up a new or revamped unit. In addition to the efficiency and low maintenance, intelligent light management is helping to enhance the workforce’s occupational safety, productivity, focus and well-being.
Lighting, which constitutes nearly 10 per cent of the total cost of setting up a manufacturing unit and running it later, can cut expenditure, if the right products are used.

What’s the latest trend?
The industrial lighting segment is gaining prominence as the need for environment-friendly, low-maintenance and energy efficient systems grows. Lighting plays a vital role in industries as it is directly linked to productivity and creating a better work environment.
LED lighting is preferred on account of its energy conservation properties, almost zero carbon emissions, long life, low maintenance costs, lower weight, better efficacy and many other advantages.
All industries are slowly switching over to LED lighting wherever possible.
Holistic and economic lighting solutions are a combination of high resolution sensors, professional control technology (radio or wire-based) and high quality luminaires.
Leading industry players like Osram Lighting Solutions have developed modular sensor and control kits to provide this diverse range of features.
The sensor and control kit offers suitable sensors for various usage profiles, ranging from workshops and production bays to parking garages and logistics centres. The sensors have high detection capabilities, can be simply planned and positioned, and are either integrated into luminaires or on mounting rails. Customers can specify the control options they require according to the application, with either radio-based solutions or wired DALI-based light controls.

Government offers
The Indian government is offering incentives to manufacturing units that install energy saving systems, which includes energy-efficient lighting. According to the National Manufacturing Policy rules, released by the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the use of energy-saving lighting systems can earn a manufacturing unit up to a 5 per cent interest reimbursement of the nominal interest charged by the lending agency and/or a 10 per cent capital subsidy.

Commonly used LED luminaires in the industry:

• High bay
• Medium bay
• Low bay
• Well glass
• Tubelights
• Flameproof lamps
• Dust-proof lamps
• Floodlights
• Tunnel lights
• Spotlights

These LED industrial products are available both as high power LEDs as well as Chips-on-Board (COBs).

Knowing what you require
Industrial lighting is an institutional purchase decision, which often means buying a customised solution. The customer needs to specify the height of a room, the light required, number of luminaires required and also whether automation systems have a role to play.
Buyers should be clear about the brand/company that they are going to work with. Factors to check on are its experience in the lighting industry and its reputation for service support in the case of longer warranties.
On the technical front, buyers need to be careful while selecting their lighting partner, ensuring that the company selected can provide data on technology—for instance, on COB, which is the latest technology and most useful for industrial applications.
Certifications: LED lighting for industrial use ensures productivity, product quality and can withstand changing temperatures within the plant. So if you are installing LED lights in your plant, ensure that you look for certain important international certifications including IP 65, which guarantees that the product is dust-proof; the Conformité Européene (CE) marking, International Electro Technical Commission (IEC) standards and RoHS compliance. Additionally, the products should be compliant with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Installation do’s and don’ts:

• Installers should be thorough with the user manual
• The installation should be done by qualified professional electricians
• There should be a separate lighting transformer
• Proper earthing must be provided for the luminaire
• There should be appropriate load distribution

After-sales service
After-sales service is the next important aspect in LED lighting. Companies appoint an after-sales team at the headquarters and also impart training to their channel partners, so that the client can be serviced on time. While the headquarters generally take the complaints and ensure these are addressed within 48-72 hours, the channel partners are delegated to resolve the issue at the plant.
The channel partners are well equipped with the components and tools in order to rectify any problem.
As industrial products are costly, the client should check a company’s after-sales service network, before choosing it.

Growth forecast
The LED industrial lighting market is forecast to grow from US$ 2.93 billion in 2016 to US$ 5.20 billion in 2020, representing a CAGR of over 15 per cent during the five-year period.
Going forward, LED lighting will turn into a necessity for Indian industries. With increased industrialisation taking place across the country, this emerging segment is going to grow to become a key contributor to the overall LED lighting industry.

The LED paradigm shift
LED stands for light-emitting diode, which has taken electric lighting into the digital age. It has revolutionised not only the lighting industry, but countless other industries that rely on lighting.

What users should look at while selecting LEDs:

• The best quality product
• Competitive prices
• Best after-sales service support
• A good dealer and distributor network

LED lighting for hazardous areas
R. STAHL is one of the most trusted companies manufacturing explosion-protected equipment. The products are certified as per the latest update in the IEC/EN standards. Innovation and improved design of products is an ongoing process at R. STAHL. Customers can get the advantage of the latest technology by choosing to use this firm’s light fittings. The lighting layout for a particular hazardous area that needs to be illuminated is done free-of-cost, once the required inputs of the area are given. The company has a worldwide presence, mostly via direct channels or through distributorships. In India, its subsidiary manufactures a large portion of the firm’s electrical product portfolio.
Factors like climatic conditions at the site, area classification, lux level desired, colour of light (white/others), assured life of the product, TCI and RoI calculations, sample installation for trial at site, etc, need to be considered for any project that requires lighting.

Industries like oil, gas, pharmaceuticals, chemicals and fertilisers, paint manufacturers, food and beverages, the maritime industry, defence and aerospace, and OEMs require hazardous area lighting. The requirements are either for greenfield/brownfield projects, MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) or re-vamping of some areas in a plant. The initiators are either the end users or the consultants, and sometimes even the maintenance/engineering teams in plants.
Hazardous area lighting products
The range includes pendant lighting, linear luminaires, cleanroom lighting, hand lamps, portable lamps, emergency lighting with inbuilt battery back-up, floodlighting, helideck and navigation lights, cabin lights and many more.

“A further trend in industrial lighting is that customers increasingly search for providers that are able to offer complete solutions. Osram Lighting Solutions, in addition to innovative luminaires and intelligent light management systems, also offers services for the planning and implementation of projects. The scope of services includes energy audits, consultation and design, installation, programming, financing and maintenance.

Energy savings
The value LEDs deliver comes from its low energy consumption, almost-zero carbon emissions and maintenance savings. LEDs are not only more energy efficient than traditional lighting technologies, they also last significantly longer and require much less maintenance. By switching to LEDs, tremendous energy and related carbon savings can be achieved, ranging from 40 per cent to 70 per cent and beyond, especially if controls systems are used to optimise the installation.
With a controls system, LEDs can easily be turned on and off, dimmed or brightened, as required by usage patterns, creating additional energy savings and prolonging the life of the fixture through more efficient use of the system.
A comparison of average savings from high intensity discharge (HID) lamps and from LEDs

Source: Average savings calculations done by the GE Lighting team using standard available technologies

Recent years have witnessed the exciting evolution and revolution triggered by the advent of LED lighting in outdoor and urban settings. LEDs facilitate a journey of value creation that began with energy and maintenance savings and will move on to cover as yet vast unexplored possibilities.

We suggest and recommend to large institutional buyers that they go step by step whilst evaluating the suitability of the lighting solution to their requirement.

The industrial LED lighting product sector is growing rapidly due to the replacement of existing HID lamps (HPSV,MHL and MV). The basic purpose of replacing existing HID lights with LEDs is saving power and enabling very low maintenance costs. Light depreciation is also the major reason for switching from HID to LED lights.